“Not too bad actually. Steady, but nothing like the other day when you were here. Seems Dr. Drexler doesn’t spend every night at work anymore,” she said, smirking.
“Dr. Drexler to the emergency room,
STAT
...Dr. Drexler to
the ER,
STAT
.”
“Ryan, she should have been there by now; something’s wrong.”
Ryan stood up. “I’m going to head that way, and I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Before she even took two steps, Marcy stopped her. “She went through the tunnel when they called her.”
“The tunnel?”
“Yeah, take those stairs down,” she said, pointing, “and you’ll see the tunnel. It will take you to another set of steps that lead right into the emergency room. I’ll go back up the other way just in case and meet you in the ER.”
“Thanks,” Ryan said, running toward the stairs. Taking them two at a time, she came to the tunnel and started at a full run down it. As she came to a corner, she slowed down. Before she got all the way around it, she could see Tobi’s form crumpled on the ground. Racing to her side, Ryan dropped to her knees and cradled Tobi’s head in her lap.
Ryan’s hands shook as she touched Tobi’s face. She could see a laceration on the side of Tobi’s head where her hair was matted by the steady flow of blood. Ryan caressed her cheek and tried calling her name.
“Tobi? C’mon, honey, open your eyes. Let me see those baby blues. Tobi, open your eyes, sweetheart.”
It was at times like this that Ryan appreciated her training in the police academy, not to mention her inherent ability to remain calm when it was most important. Ryan gently picked Tobi up in her arms and quickly made her way to the ER.
ursting through the ER doors with Tobi in her arms, Ryan shouted for help. A nurse immediately grabbed a B stretcher and Ryan gently laid Tobi down. She followed as the nurse rushed Tobi into a private exam room.
“What happened?” the nurse asked while checking Tobi’s vitals.
“I don’t really know. I was in the cafeteria when she kept getting paged. Her secretary said she had gone through the tunnel to head this way,” Ryan explained.
“You didn’t see the injury being sustained?”
“No, I…” Ryan faltered momentarily when another nurse and a doctor entered the room and immediately began working on Tobi. “I found her lying on the ground unconscious.”
The nurse nodded and passed the information on to the doctor that was examining Tobi. Ryan moved out of the way but stayed as close to the head of the bed as possible.
“Pupils are reactive…three-inch laceration left temple…no other obvious signs of injury.” As the doctor examined Tobi, a nurse started an IV in her arm.
Ryan heard Tobi moan again and looked down at her face.
She watched her eyelids flutter open briefly before closing just as fast.
“Tobi, open your eyes for me,” the doctor said while leaning over her.
“Hurts…” she croaked.
“I know the light makes them hurt, but I need you to look at me for just a minute.”
When she opened her eyes, tears slowly trickled down the side of her face as she winced in pain.
Ryan’s heart hammered in her chest as she watched Tobi lying there, obviously hurting. Her stomach threatened to revolt at any minute, and she felt so helpless. She now knew exactly what Tobi had gone through the night she had chased that man and was injured.
After doing a thorough exam, including a CT scan of the head, the chief trauma surgeon, Tom Asher, cleaned and placed stitches in the wound. Tobi was awake and alert by this point, but she chose to keep her eyes closed. She held tightly to Ryan’s hand while the doctor worked on her.
“Tobi, I’d like to keep you overnight just for observation. That was a nasty blow you took to the head. If everything still looks good in the morning, I’ll release you.”
“’kay, Tom. Thanks.”
“Also, your friend Ryan has agreed to get the police report taken care of after you’re released tomorrow. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that this happened. I’ve already talked to your superior and explained everything. He said to take the next few days off, and if you feel up to it, return on Monday.”
Tom Asher pulled his gloves off and tossed them on the open tray before standing up. He patted her arm as he looked down at her with affection. “Take care of yourself, and I’ll see you in the morning. I’ve given you something that should help that headache.
Someone will be down soon to take you to your room.”
“Thanks,” she said, opening her eyes and smiling.
Ryan watched him leave the room then turned back to Tobi when she felt a hand squeeze hers. As she gazed into Tobi’s eyes, Ryan again felt the twinge in her chest. Tobi’s eyes were clouded with pain, and she was still very pale.
Ryan caressed her cheek lightly. “How are you doing, sweetheart?”
“Other than this headache, I’m not too shabby,” she said with a slow smile. “I’m sorry about lunch.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“No, I really wanted to eat lunch with you today.”
Ryan stood there dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe that Tobi was lying in the emergency room with a gash in her head, and all she was concerned about was missing lunch. On top of that, she looked as if she was pouting about it. If it weren’t such a serious situation, it would have been comical.
Before she could comment, an orderly bustled into the room.
“They’ve got your room ready, Dr. Drexler,” he said while raising the rails on the stretcher. “If you’ll follow me, ma’am, we’ll get this pretty lady to her room.”
Ryan glanced at his nametag. “Lead on, Jerome.”
With a toothy grin, he wheeled the stretcher down the hall and into an open elevator. Ryan reached through the railing to lay her hand on Tobi’s arm. Tobi took Ryan’s hand in both of hers and with a tug pulled Ryan down to within inches of her.
“I think you’re the most beautiful woman,” she said in a loud whisper.
Jerome smirked and looked away to study the control panel.
Now what the hell do I do?
Ryan thought. She saw Tobi’s eyes close and figured she had fallen asleep. She placed her hand on the rail and started to straighten up when Tobi’s hands tightened around hers.
“Don’t leave,” Tobi mumbled.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, honey.”
“Of course you do,” Tobi said matter-of-factly.
Jerome chuckled next to her as Ryan smiled when Tobi’s hands loosened and dropped to her chest. Her whole body seemed to relax. It appeared that she had, indeed, fallen asleep.
Even in
this condition, she’s absolutely adorable.
When the doors opened, Jerome guided the stretcher off and down the hall to Tobi’s room. Once she was settled in her bed, Ryan tucked the blanket snugly around her and placed a kiss on her forehead. Seeing how vulnerable she looked brought a surge of anger that made Ryan’s body tremble. She tried to regain some control by closing her eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths. If this maniac got this close to her once, he could do it again.
No, it
will not happen again, no matter what I have to do to keep her
safe.
Ryan pulled a chair close to the bed and settled down for what was sure to be a long night. With the lights down low, she rested her head against the back of the chair. As the blankets shrouding Tobi’s body rose and fell with each breath she took, a peaceful tranquility settled within Ryan. Tobi was going to be all right and that’s what was important. The only sounds in the room were the gentle hiss of the thermostat and the clicking of the IV
pump. Listening to the rhythmic noises, Ryan’s eyes grew heavy.
As her tension ebbed, she finally gave in to her body’s need for rest.
The swirl of the patterned ceiling tiles was the first thing to come into focus as Tobi slowly opened her eyes and blinked. She rolled her head from one side to the other, wincing when the left side grazed the pillow. Reaching up, she barely touched the bandage covering the stitches before remembering what had happened. With a sigh, she dropped her arm, then glanced to the side of the bed and saw the tall form that appeared to be fast asleep. In repose, Ryan looked so relaxed and peaceful. Tobi was relieved to know that Ryan was getting some sleep. She watched the rise and fall of Ryan’s chest for a moment before her gaze swept back up to Ryan’s eyes. She was startled to see them open and fixed upon her.
“Hi.”
“Hi, honey. How are you feeling?” Ryan asked, sitting up straighter.
“I’m a little sore and have a slight headache but not too bad.
Nice shirt, by the way,” Tobi said with a nod of her head.
Ryan glanced down at the light blue scrub top she had been given after Tobi fell asleep. It had “Truman University Medical Center” stamped all over it in bold black letters. “Your nurse thought I might want to change since my shirt…” Ryan trailed off.
One look at Tobi made her realize she didn’t have to explain that her shirt had gotten blood all over it; understanding was written in the small sympathetic smile from Tobi.
Ryan cleared her throat. “Do you need anything?”
“I could use a drink. My mouth and throat feel so dry.”
Ryan poured her a cup of water and placed a straw inside before setting the cup down on the tray table. She raised the head of the bed so Tobi was sitting upright.
“Is that okay?”
“That’s fine, honey. Thank you.”
Ryan responded with a smile as she picked up the cup and held the straw to Tobi’s lips.
“You don’t have to hold it; I can do it,” Tobi said, leaning back slightly.
“I don’t mind…humor me?”
“I will but only if you’ll sit down beside me.”
“Where?”
Tobi moved over and patted the bed. “Right here.”
“Um, Tobi, I’m not sure I’m supposed to be doing that.”
“It’s okay. C’mon, have a seat.” Seeing Ryan glance at the door skeptically, Tobi continued, “Trust me; I’m a doctor,” she said with a wink.
Ryan tried to hide a smile as she sat down. She took Tobi’s hands in hers and debated whether to bring up what happened in the tunnel. She knew what had to be going through Tobi’s mind.
“Do you have any idea who did this?” Tobi asked as if reading her thoughts.
Ryan shook her head. “I didn’t see anyone. By the time I found you, you were already unconscious. Do you remember anything?”
“Very little. I remember being paged to the emergency room and entering the tunnel. The last thing I remember is hearing someone running up behind me.”
“I really think-”
Hearing the knock on the door, she stopped in midsentence.
As Tom Asher entered the room, Ryan leaned forward and whispered, “We’ll talk about this later, okay?” before standing up and moving aside. Tobi nodded and smiled at the doctor.
“Hello, Tom.”
“Hello there, yourself. How are you feeling this morning?”
“Pretty good, all things considered.”
Taking the spot Ryan had just vacated, he pulled out a penlight and checked Tobi’s pupils. “No blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, dizziness…” he trailed off as she shook her head to each question. “Well, I don’t see any reason why you can’t go home.
I’ll leave a prescription for some Tylenol with codeine with your discharge papers in case you need it. Call me if you have any problems.” He patted her leg, stood up, and with a wink at Ryan, walked out of the room.
“He has got to be one of the nicest men,” Ryan said.
“He is. He’s got four daughters of his own and still treats me like I’m one. He’s been a terrific mentor.”
There was another knock on the door, and it opened again.
This time, a nurse came in carrying a chart.
“Looks like you’re out of here, Dr. Drexler. I’ll just get this IV
out then you can sign your papers and be discharged.”
“That sounds like a terrific idea. Not that you aren’t nice and all, but home sounds really good right about now.”
The nurse pulled the tape off Tobi’s arm and removed the IV
catheter. She glanced up at Ryan and then back at Tobi. “Looks like you’ll have someone to watch over you, as well,” she said with a nod of her head toward Ryan.
Seeing the weak attempt at a scowl from Ryan, Tobi laughed.
“I think you’re right.”
“She didn’t leave the entire time, in case you didn’t know,”
she said in a mock whisper.
As Ryan fidgeted, Tobi quietly replied, “Thanks, I didn’t know, although I kind of figured.”
“I’ll be right back. Go ahead and get dressed, then we’ll get you discharged.”
The nurse left the room, but Tobi’s gaze never left Ryan’s face. She could tell that Ryan was embarrassed by the nurse’s comments. All Tobi wanted at this moment was to be home, curled up in bed with her arms and body wrapped around Ryan.
“I love you. Thank you so much for staying with me last night.”
“You don’t have to thank me. There is nowhere else I’d rather be than by your side, Tobi.”
Tobi swung her legs off the bed and sat up straight. “C’mere,”
she said while beckoning with her finger. As Ryan stepped closer, Tobi grabbed the waistband of her jeans and pulled her to stand between her legs. With arms wrapped around Ryan’s waist, she rested her head against her and placed a kiss on the hard plane of her stomach.
“Help me get dressed so we can get out of here?”
“Absolutely,” Ryan replied while leaning down and kissing Tobi fully on the lips.
When Tobi had dressed, the nurse returned with the discharge papers and a wheelchair. Knowing this was the only way she was leaving the hospital, Tobi complied without an argument.
It won’t
be long before I can hold Ryan in my arms.
Ryan had barely closed the front door and turned when Tobi threw herself into her arms. Ryan automatically tightened her arms and hugged Tobi close. She felt Tobi’s fingers glide up the back of her head, sending shivers up her spine, the gentle pressure on her neck bringing her face closer to Tobi’s. Ryan caught the barest glimpse of moistened lips before they were nipping gently at her own. An insistent tongue begged for entrance, making Ryan shiver in anticipation. Her legs trembled as the kiss continued and the possessive nature of it deepened. Hands against Ryan’s chest pushed her back against the kitchen wall. She gasped in surprise as Tobi leaned fully against her, her thigh between Ryan’s parted legs and her hands on her shoulders.